Vietnam: Seafarers shall be provided free of charge health protection and medical care while on board ships

According to Decree No. 121/2014/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, medical care on board ship and ashore is prescribed as follows:

- Seafarers shall be provided free of charge with prompt and adequate health protection and medical care while they are on board ships or landed in any foreign ports.

- Shipowners are required to take measures for providing seafarers with health protection and medical care as comparable as possible to that which is generally available to workers ashore, which:

+ ensure that seafarers are given health protection and medical care as comparable as possible to that which is available to workers ashore, including medicines, medical equipment and facilities for diagnosis and treatment and to medical information and expertise;

+ give seafarers the right to visit a qualified medical doctor or dentist without delay in ports of call;

+ include measures for prevention of occupational accidents and illness through health promotion and health education programs.

- Shipowners must comply with regulations on medical doctors on board as follows:

+ Ships carrying 100 or more persons and ordinarily engaged on international voyages of more than three days’ duration shall carry a qualified medical doctor;

+ Ships that carry less than 100 persons and do not carry a medical doctor shall be required to have either at least one seafarer on board who is in charge of medical care and administering medicine or at least one seafarer on board competent to provide medical first aid.

Seafarers in charge of medical care on board shall have satisfactorily completed training in medical care that meets the requirements of the STCW Convention. Seafarers designated to provide medical first aid shall have satisfactorily completed training in medical first aid that meets the requirements of STCW Convention.

- The ships’ masters or on-board medical personnel shall be responsible for making medical report forms as regulated. The medical report form is designed to facilitate the exchange of medical and related information between the ship and shore-based medical facilities. Contents of the medical report form shall be kept confidential and shall only be used to facilitate the treatment of seafarers.

- The Minister of Health of Vietnam shall:

+ Announce medical facilities providing medical care for seafarers;

+ Promulgate regulations on medicine chest, medical equipment and medical guide on board ships, and medical report forms.

View more details at Decree No. 121/2014/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, effective from March 01, 2015.

Le Hai

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